Akito and Estelle's Adventures of How the Grinch Stole Christmas
by PerkyGoth14
Summary: Akito, Estelle, Vincent, LJ and Zofia are sent into the magical world of Whoville where they find out that the Whos love to celebrate Christmas, but the one known as The Grinch doesn't enjoy it himself, but no one knows why, so they must help Cindy Lou Who as she seems to have a new distaste for the family winter holiday.
1. Chapter 1

This story starts with a series of bookshelves, but one book seemed to fly off right off and it seemed to be a holiday story called How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. It seemed to touch the floor and then opened up to a page with a snowflake and a voice began to narrate, speaking in rhyme, as it was a Dr. Seuss storybook after all with people wandering about as it was a cold December day near the dead of the season of winter.

"Inside a snowflake, like the one on your sleeve there happened a story you must see to believe," The narration began. "Way up in the mountains, in the high range of Pontoos lay the small town of Whoville: The home of the Whos. Ask any Who, And they'll have this to say: 'There is no place like Whoville around Christmas Day'. Every window was flocked, every lamppost was dressed and the Whoville band marched in their Christmasy best."

And naturally, our main group of kids were in Whoville at the time, bundled up in winter gear. There seemed to be muffled, almost Darth Vader breathing, before one of the kids pulled down his scarf to peek his head out.

"I can't breathe in this thing!" Vincent gasped as he poked his head out.

"Well, Vince, that's whatcha get for picking such a thick scarf," LJ replied. "I don't wanna catch a cold, but you don't see me cutting off my breathing!"

"I didn't pick this scarf! Grandma Elizabeth knitted it just for me!" Vincent complained.

"I guess at least it isn't that green scarf that Jenny mailed you once." Estelle said.

"That is an ascot." Vincent clarified in a Fred Jones fashion.

"Which is a scarf for women." LJ added.

"It is not!" Vincent replied. "Fred Jones from Mystery Inc wore one!"

"Yeah, that helps your case." Zofia deadpanned.

"Still a _woman's_ scarf!" LJ added. "Look it up, it's true."

"Hmph." Vincent huffed, crossing his arms.

Akito and Estelle couldn't help but snicker to their older brother's misfortune.

"Merry Christmas!" The Whos smiled to each other. "Merry Christmas!"

"Let's see... According to this, we should go to the post office." Zofia said as she took out a paper that was given to them.

"Post office, alright," LJ replied. "Aw, c'mon, Vincey, you know I didn't mean it!"

"Whatever..." Vincent rolled his eyes. "And don't call me 'Vincey'. No one calls me 'Vincey'."

"Tigger does." Akito and Estelle retorted.

"No hard feelings, right, Vince?" LJ asked hopefully. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Hmm... I'll think about it..." Vincent replied.

"Fine..." LJ replied as they headed to the post office.

They excused themselves a bunch of times as they passed the Whos who were caught up in their Christmastime festivities.

"Man, it's as busy as the Plaza Hotel around here for the holidays." Akito commented.

"No kidding." LJ replied.

* * *

Eventually, they made it into the post office and looked around for a bit. Of course, it was busy there as it was time for the holidays.

"Arbor Day was fine, and Easter was pleasant and every Saint Fizzin's day, they ate a Fizz pheasant. But every Who knew, from their twelve toes to their snout they loved Christmas the most, without a single Who doubt." The narrator continued as they were walking along until they ran into a young girl who was with her father.

"So... They have six toes on each foot... Damn..." LJ commented.

"Well, this _is_ a different world from our own." Akito nodded.

The shops were just as busy as money was exchanged while presents were wrapped.

"Christmas just makes the adults even weirder." Zofia commented.

"No doubt about it." LJ nodded.

They looked in through the windows of the shop to see a girl with her father as they were shopping.

"We got a snoozlephone for your brother Drew and a snoozlephone for your brother Stu, a muncle for your uncle a fant for your aunt and a fandpa for your cousin Leon," The adult male Who read aloud from a list before looking around as he seemed to had lost his daughter. "So, we just need-...Cindy? Cindy Lou?"

"Wow, everything sounds ridiculous in this world." LJ commented.

"It's a Dr. Seuss world." Akito reminded.

"Yeah, I guess..." LJ shrugged.

"Cindy Lou, huh?" Zofia asked as she held her paper about their Christmas mission. "She's the one we're supposed to help. It says so right here."

"Alright then," LJ nodded. "Let's get to helping!"

"If we can find her, I suppose." Zofia replied.

"I think I may have found her." Akito said as he saw a pair of tiny legs behind a huge present pile.

"Yeah, that's the kid, alright." LJ commented.

"Dad?" The cute blonde girl piped up.

"Yeah?" Her father replied.

"Doesn't this seem like a bit much?"

"This is what Christmas is all about!" The man smiled to her. "Can't you feel it?"

LJ nodded. "Clearly these people have a nasty case of commercialism-itis. Very nasty case, luckily it's only contagious around Who adults."

There was an older Who couple who were together with their three grandchildren as they were also shopping for the holidays.

"Oh, uh, h-hi, Cindy..." The Who boy with glasses waved shyly to the blonde Who girl.

"Hi, Euchariah." Cindy Lou greeted her friend.

"Another Who kid?" LJ commented. "Didn't account for this..."

"It's _Who_ ville." Zofia deadpanned.

"Well, Cindy Lou was the only kid they actually focused on," LJ retorted. "At least for the most."

Zofia just stuck her tongue out at her brother.

They were soon outside of the store as there was a big buzz over Christmas in Whoville.

"Pull in your tongue, unless you hope to catch flies," LJ retorted. "Cripes, I hate Christmas shopping..."

"It's scary enough when it's the day after Thanksgiving." Zofia added as they walked along town.

Cindy Lou soon looked over, curious of the other kids who came into town who seemed like they weren't from around here. "Euchariah, do you know who those guys are?" she then asked.

"Uh, no, I-I-I haven't seen them around here before," Euchariah told her. "I'm not sure if we can escape the Christmas shopping to go and see them though."

"Yeah, same here," LJ replied. "This stinks like yesterday's garbage."

Cindy Lou shushed her friend and soon took his hand as she set the presents down by her father and went to sneak over with him to go and see the other kids.

"I think it's probably that." Vincent said as he found a garbage dump that seemed to go to a place called Mount Crumpit.

"Mt. Crumpit? Clever, but I was saying this situation sucks." LJ replied.

"Excuse me?" Cindy Lou spoke up.

The kids turned over to see the girl along with her friend.

"My name is Cindy Lou Who, and this is my friend, Euchariah," The blonde girl said with a small introduction. "I don't think I've seen you guys around Whoville before."

"Oh, we just moved here a few days ago." LJ replied.

"Well, welcome to Whoville," Cindy Lou said. "Sorry it's a little crazy around here."

"It's Christmas, what can you do?" Zofia shrugged modestly.

"Such as life." LJ added.

"Yeah... Christmas is pretty extreme around here..." Cindy Lou frowned. "Sometimes I wonder if it's worth celebrating sometimes, it seems like all anyone cares about is the presents and decorations. I mean, my mom's even trying to enter a Christmas Light competition with one of the neighbors."

"That's got to be murder on the electric bill." LJ commented.

"You have no idea..." Cindy Lou sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"My grandparents get caught up in the holidays too," Euchariah added with a small frown. "They're mostly concerned about parties and stuff like that."

"Yeah... That sucks." LJ replied calmly.

"Welcome to Whoville, I suppose." Cindy Lou told them.

"Thank you, Cindy Lou." The others replied to the Who girl.

Euchariah blinked and looked over to the mountain not too far off from Whoville. "I think I found your brother, Cindy."

"What are those two up to now?" Cindy Lou sighed about her older brothers.

"Well, judging from the context, I'd say, trouble as usual." LJ replied.

"They're always getting into trouble." Cindy Lou pouted as she crossed her arms about her older brothers.

Cindy Lou's father soon came out looking for her as she had wandered off and they still had lots of shopping to do.

"Sorry you have to be suffocated by the constant grasp of commercialism." LJ commented.

"Uh... Cindy Lou... Maybe if you aren't too busy... We could go ice-skating... Or something... I mean..." Euchariah stammered nervously.

"What?" Cindy Lou asked. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the music."

"Um... Uh... Never mind..." Euchariah sighed like a coward.

"Cindy Lou, come on, we have to get going." Mr. Lou Who told his daughter.

LJ sighed. "Well, best of luck, Euch," he replied, pronouncing it as "Uke" of "ukulele". "You, my friend, are clearly smitten."

"Huh? What?" Euchariah blinked. "W-W-What do you mean?"

"I've seen the symptoms before, and they all match up," LJ explained. "You, my friend, have got it bad for Cindy Lou!"

"W-What?! N-No!" Euchariah gasped and blushed. "Erm... I mean, she's one of my best friends!"

"Relax, I won't tell anyone," LJ replied. "Consider it a Christmas gift, from me to you!"

Euchariah blushed as he looked over to Cindy Lou.

"Guys, I think we have to follow Cindy Lou," Zofia said as she looked at her paper. "According to this letter from Drell, she's the one that we have to help... He also said 'Don't complain, it was either this or sending you to an airport on Christmas Eve to help six kids named Spencer and Katherine Davenport, Charles Goldfinch, Donna Malone, Timothy Wellington, and Grace Conrad'."

"I don't know who any of those people ARE!" LJ yelled.

"Exactly," Zofia told him. "Now calm down. We better help Cindy Lou."

The kids then walked off while Euchariah watched them, looking shy and bashful as he really did have a crush on Cindy Lou.

"Oh, that kid," LJ chuckled. "Anyways, let's move it."

They then began to follow after Cindy Lou as a strange figure appeared in town who seemed to be wearing a mask which was obvious, even to the kids, but the people of Whoville didn't seem to really notice or care.

"Boy, nothing beats Christmas, right?" Mr. Lou Who smiled to his daughter.

"Yeah, sure," LJ shrugged. "Either nobody noticed, or they have and they just don't care. I'm thinking the first one."

"Yeah... I guess..." Cindy Lou added.

"You guess?" Mr. Lou Who asked her.

"It's just... Look around at you and Mom and everyone getting all kerbobbled," Cindy Lou sighed. "Doesn't this seem... Superfluous?"

"As in, unnecessary?" LJ asked. "As my uncle would put it... 'Eeyup'."

* * *

"Dad!" A voice called out.

Everyone soon looked over to see what looked like teenaged Whos who were rushing over in a panic.

"What happened to you?!" Mr. Lou Who frowned to his sons.

"It was THE **GRINCH**!" One of the boys told him.

Suddenly, everyone gasped.

"Whatya want?" asked the masked guy. "I mean, the Grinch? Oh, no!"

"Yeah, that's plenty suspicious." LJ commented.

"Can't be more suspicious than Robbie Rotten on an average day in Lazy Town." Akito replied.

"I never watched that, but... Yeah." LJ agreed.

Eventually, someone came out who seemed to be in charge.

"That must be the mayor." Vincent guessed.

Everyone else agreed as that seemed very likely.

"Did someone just say 'Grinch'?" The Who demanded.

"Hello, Mr. May Who, sir." Mr. Lou Who smiled nervously.

"Yeah, those two say they just saw him." LJ replied, pointing to the two teenage Whos.

"Hmm..." Mayor May Who nodded and beckoned to the father. "Lou?"

Cindy Lou's father soon came towards the man.

"I don't need to remind you that this Christmas marks the 1,000th Whobilation." Mayor May Who whispered to him, but Akito listened in with his super-hearing.

"Whoville's most important celebration!" Another Who added.

"And the Book of Who says, very clearly..." Mayor May Who nodded as the other Who brought out a book. " _'Every size of Who we can measure knows that the Whobilation is a time we must treasure'_. Now, please tell me that your boys were not up in Mount Crumpit provoking that one creature within a billion bilometers of here who hates Christmas!"

"They probably were." LJ commented.

"But it _was_ the Grinch!" The teenaged Whos cried out.

"No, no, no, sir," Mr. Lou Who smiled nervously as he tried to shut his boys up in front of the mayor. "The boys didn't see any Grinch. They... I think they were just up on the mountain, playing with matches or defacing public property."

"Oh, well, that's a relief," Mayor May Who smiled then before announcing to his citizens. "All right, you heard the man! There's no Grinch problem here!"

"That's what _they_ think." LJ grumbled.

The Whos soon felt relieved and carried on with their celebration, and soon, someone shot a spitball at the mayor.

"Ooh, good shot!" LJ chuckled.

"That wasn't very nice... But I have to agree," Akito replied. "I don't know what it is, but I don't like this mayor guy."

Cindy Lou soon followed her father into the post office, which was why the kids had to go there, because her father worked there, and she usually helped him out.

"Yeah, he's a jerk," LJ replied. "We got that covered."


	2. Chapter 2

Not surprisingly, the post office was loaded with people trying to mail off Christmas gifts and cards.

"But Dad, I just don't understand something," Cindy Lou said as her father rolled around on the ladder to put items into the proper boxes. "Why won't anyone talk about the Grinch?"

"You kids an the Grinch..." Mr. Lou Who sighed as he worked. "You see, Cindy, the Grinch is a Who, who, well... Is actually not a Who. He's... He's more of a-"

"A what?" asked Cindy.

"Exactly, honey!" Mr. Lou Who replied. "He's a what who doesn't like Christmas. Take a look at his mailbox, sweetheart."

Cindy then took a look to see that it was empty and unattractive.

"Not a single Christmas card, in or out," Mr. Lou Who continued. "Ever."

"That's gotta suck." LJ commented.

"But why?" The girls asked.

"Well-" Mr. Lou Who was about to explain, but he was interrupted by impatient and frustrated customers. "Uh... I'll be right there. All right, we'll straighten this out." he then smiled nervously as he had to leave the kids alone now.

"Hello, Cindy." An elderly couple known as Josiah and Mariah, smiled.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Who," Cindy smiled back and curtsied to her best friend's grandparents. "How are Obediah and Bethiah?"

"Oh, they're doing just fine." Josiah replied.

"It's nice to see you two." Cindy smiled.

"And it's nice to see you, Cindy Lou Who, you are absolutely precious." Mariah beamed to the young Who.

LJ rolled his eyes. Cindy Lou smiled and waved to them before coming back to her new friends.

"Alright, so whaddo we have to do here?" asked LJ.

"I usually help Dad sort the mail or place presents where they need to go," Cindy Lou said. "Something weird is going on though, I don't think I've seen this happen before with mismatched presents and letters."

"Somebody is messing with the mail," LJ replied. "And I think I know who!"

"Would you mind helping me out?" Mr. Lou Who asked his daughter, handing something to her. "Take this to the back room, honey, but be careful of the sorting machine, right?"

"Yeah..." Cindy Lou replied before looking over. "Come on, guys."

* * *

And so they followed her to the back room. There were bells and alarms ringing as they came to the back room. They all looked around until they found something on the floor which looked like a mask of a Who's face, but who would need it?

"Someone who _wasn't_ a Who!" LJ realized. "And I think it's clear who it is!"

"Totally." Akito added like a detective.

They soon heard a sneeze and someone saying 'gesundheit'. Cindy Lou soon looked up and screamed to see a green man carrying a dog as they were hiding against the wall together to avoid being seen, but they had been found out.

"Of course..." LJ smirked. "Mr. Mean Green himself."

"Hello, Jolly Mean Giant." Akito glared.

The Grinch soon dropped down, glaring back slightly while Cindy Lou looked scared to see him up close.

"The-the-the..." Cindy Lou stammered.

"The-the-the," he mocked. " **THE GRINCH!** "

"Oh, called it." LJ nodded.

Cindy Lou screamed and ended up in the sorting machine.

"Well... That worked out nicely." The Grinch smirked.

The dog glanced at him.

"Yeah, Jim Carrey was a great casting choice." LJ shrugged.

"I'm not sure I know who this Jim Carrey fellow is, but he sounds amazingly talented and awesomely hilarious, especially as a pet detective," The Grinch shrugged before he was about to leave. "Max, let's go. Our work here is finished."

The dog soon chomped on his butt.

"Gah!" The Grinch yelped before glaring at his dog. "That is not a chew toy!"

"I think he wants you to pull her out," LJ shrugged. "Just talking from context."

The Grinch growled at him.

"I think it's the only way to get him off of you, sir." Estelle smirked with her siblings.

The Grinch sighed and rolled his eyes as Cindy Lou screamed for her dear life. "Bleeding hearts of the world unite!" he then groaned while saving the Who girl. "There! Give me that!" he then glared as he swiped his mask out of her hands. "Don't you know you're not supposed to take things that don't belong to you?! What's the matter with you, you some kind of wild animal? Huh?!"

"This coming from the guy who's freely switching the mail," LJ snorted. "Plus, you dropped it, so... Yeah."

The Grinch soon walked off with his dog who finally let go of him once Cindy Lou was helped.

"Thanks for saving me." Cindy Lou piped up.

"Saving you?!" The Grinch laughed. "I was merely making sure you were properly packaged!" he then proceeded to wrap her in wrapping paper and tape before he switched some of the envelopes around and left.

The kids tried to stop him, but he soon did the same to them before he decided to take his leave. The kids then muffled as they were stuck together and wrapped up as Mr. Lou Who came to look for them since they had been gone for quite a while.

"You know, I get the feeling his hate is... Justified." LJ commented.

"It's like what Jeanette Miller said about that bully from the school she and the others went to," Estelle said as she poked her head out. "He must come from a very unloving family."

"I dunno, but I think I might need to do some work." Cindy Lou suggested.

"What the hey...? Kids?" Mr. Lou Who asked as he soon helped them out.

"Dad, it was amazing!" Cindy Lou gasped to him.

"You've been practicing your Christmas wrapping," Mr. Lou Who smiled to her. "I am so proud of you!"

"Um... Sure..." LJ shrugged.

"Now that's holiday!" Mr. Lou Who beamed.

"Sweet little Cindy and her new friends didn't know what to do," The narrator's voice spoke. "In their heads, bumtumbled a conflict or two. 'If the Grinch was so bad, then why did he save us? Maybe he wasn't so bad'. Maybe... Just maybe."

"Come on, let's go home." Mr. Lou Who told his daughter.

"Alright." LJ shrugged.

"Don't you kids have your own homes to go to?" Mr. Lou Who asked his daughter's new friends.

"Oh! Right!" LJ nodded. "C'mon, crew."

* * *

They soon left the post office as Euchariah was going home with his grandparents, and they waved as they passed by.

"Oh, Cindy Lou Who... I wish I could tell you how I feel..." Euchariah sighed to himself.

"The kid has got it bad for her." LJ sighed.

"I'm sure we can help out eventually... But where can we stay for the night?" Estelle wondered.

"Good question..." LJ replied. "Too bad I don't have an answer..."

"I'd say we could go with Cindy Lou Who, but... Will it work?" Estelle shrugged.

"It's worked before." Akito said to his twin sister about them blending in for an adventure.

"Looks like we haven't got a choice." LJ replied.

The others shrugged and they soon followed Cindy and her father home that night.

* * *

"No lights on at the house," Mr. Lou Who said to his daughter as they got out of the car. "Your mom must be shopping."

"Perhaps... Or maybe she's gearing up for that lighting competition." Akito replied.

Suddenly, the lights came on in front of the house.

"Called it." Akito then said.

"Oh, good, I'm so glad you're home!" Cindy's mother smiled to her husband. "Oh, I can feel it, Lou. This year, when everybody asks who has the most spectacular lights in all of greater Whoville, they're going to cry out 'Mrs. Betty Lou Who'!"

"I can already see the electric bill for this month-OVER NINE-THOUSAND!" LJ replied, mimicking a scouter being crushed.

"It looks amazing, ma'am." Zofia added to be polite.

"Oh, thank you, dears." Betty smiled.

"Uh, isn't this the chandelier from the dining room?" Lou asked his wife as he found something outside.

"It's all for the cause, dear," Betty replied. "Oh, and Cindy, could you be Mommy's Little Helper, and unscrew the bulb there from the refrigerator? Somehow I missed that one."

"Just like Snoopy and his doghouse decorations..." LJ sighed.

"Classic." Akito and Estelle added.

"Every year, Martha May Whovier, has the best lights," Betty muttered to herself. "Well, not this year! This year, I'm gonna beat that prim, perfect, little prissy-"

"Betty!" A woman's voice called from next door. "Hi!"

"And lo, the competition." Zofia commented.

"Martha!" Betty gasped.

"My, I've never seen so many Christmas lights, Betty Lou." Martha smiled.

"I'd blow every fuse if I tried to keep up with _you_ , Martha May." Betty replied.

"Brace for impact..." LJ gulped, plugging his ears.

"What's that thing?" Estelle asked, seeing a shiny, silver thing.

"Oh, this? Isn't this antique darling?" Martha smiled as she showed it. "It's hand-crafted, and almost 100 years old!"

"Oh, please, I'm really impressed." Betty muttered.

"This, however, is new!" Martha smiled as she unveiled some sort of contraption.

"That's some sort of light-blasting machine!" LJ commented. "It's big and it's new and it's awfully mean!"

"Incoming!" Akito called out.

The kids soon ducked down and covered their ears as Martha used the machine to decorate her house with while Betty just stared in envy and disappointment.

"That must have cost a buttload..." LJ gasped.

"I'd believe it." Vincent replied.

"Well, good night, Betty!" Martha smirked as she soon finished her house and went inside for the night.

"I imagine that humble pie tastes like defeat?" LJ asked.

"Poor Cindy's mom." Estelle frowned.

Cindy Lou sighed as she came inside her house and put up her coat. "I just can't wait for the holidays to be over so I can think about something important, like school..." she then said to herself.

"At least ya get a break..." LJ shrugged. "These adventures are a full-time job... But a fun one!"

"You guys are very different..." Cindy Lou smiled. "I like you."

"Thanks!" LJ grinned. "You're alright, too!"

"I guess you're staying over?" Cindy Lou asked.

"Looks like it." Zofia replied.

"Well... I guess that would be okay..." Cindy Lou said. "Do your parents know you're here though?"

"Yeah, they know," LJ nodded. "We called them on the way over."

"Well... Okay then..." Cindy Lou said. "I just wanna make sure."

"We got it all covered." Vincent replied.

"Great," Cindy Lou said. "Also, would you mind if I found out more about the Grinch? I know there has to be more to him than meets the eye."

"Sure! Sounds like fun!" LJ replied casually. "Maybe we could even get that Euchariah kid to help too!"

"Well, of course he might," Cindy Lou smiled. "He's my best friend."

"Maybe he'll become more someday." LJ smirked, trying to hint at something.

"Huh?" asked Cindy Lou.

"Nothing..." LJ smirked.

"Well... We better get some sleep," Cindy Lou suggested. "It's been a very long day for all of us. Come on, I'll help you guys get settled in for the night." she then said, leading them inside to get ready for bed.

"Alright then..." LJ nodded, as he and the others followed behind.

They were all given spare pajamas which seemed to fit them okay. Cindy Lou then patted down her nightgown as she got ready for bed with them as it was late in Whoville. And so, they all went to sleep. Cindy Lou had trouble sleeping as she thought about Christmas before she soon fell asleep with the others.


	3. Chapter 3

**_And so, the next day..._**

Cindy Lou put on her coat and got ready with her new friends as they shared breakfast to go and find someone who could tell them about the Grinch.

"Alright... So we need to find someone who knows about the Grinch's past," LJ explained. "But who would know about it?"

"I'm wondering that myself." Akito nodded in agreement.

Euchariah's grandmother was soon making sure he was nice and bundled up since it was chilly outside today, being winter and all.

"Well, there's nothing else we can do but head out and start asking around." LJ replied.

"Guys! Wait for me!" Euchariah called out as he waddled like a penguin due to how much clothes his grandmother made him wear, and he soon fell in the snow face-first. "Oh, no!"

LJ rolled his eyes, then went back and propped him up. "C'mon..."

"Grandma Mariah overdoes it every winter..." Euchariah muttered as he pulled his scarf down.

Mariah waved as her grandson went with his friends to go and begin to ask around about the Grinch.

* * *

It seemed to take a while, but they were soon told to go and see two sisters by the names of Clarnella and Rose.

"Yes, we were wondering what you could tell us about the Grinch?" LJ asked, holding a tape recorder. "What was he like before he became so mean?"

"Oh, do come inside, dears." The sisters told them, inviting the kids into the house.

"In your own words, please tell us everything you know about the Grinch," Cindy Lou said as they sat down and took off their coats. "Where did he come from?"

"Oh, well... He came the way all Who babies come from." Carnella smiled.

"That tells me nothing." LJ replied.

"LJ..." Estelle nudged before smiling. "Keep going, please?"

"On calm nights, baby Who girls and tiny Who fellas drift from the sky in their own pumbersellas." Clarnella continued happily.

"Ohh... So that's how it works." Cindy Lou commented as she had learned where babies came from.

"Mm-hmm... It was Christmas Eve and a strange wind blew that night." Clarnella nodded.

"Everyone's got their own way, I suppose..." LJ shrugged.

"You mean like Cosmo and Wanda and how Baby Poof was born from-" Vincent spoke up.

"A wish, sure," LJ replied. "Personally, I saw it as a cheap stunt to bring up the ratings. If anything, Poof was a walking plot device."

"We were having our annual holiday get-together," Carnella continued. "It was morning before anybody realized that he was out there, the poor dear, but you know what? We knew right away that he was special."

"Other than the green fur?" LJ asked.

"Yes, other than the green fur, dear." Clarnella nodded.

"Oh, he was a wonderful... Whatever he was," Rose added. "And we raised him like any other Who child with a deep love of Christmas."

"I guess he had his own way of expressing holiday cheer..." LJ commented.

"Doesn't everyone?" Rose replied.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true." Zofia had to admit.

* * *

They were now interviewing the lady from next door.

"The Grinch...?" Martha asked. "He had no sense of color coordination. Although, I hardly remember him. I didn't have time to socialize. I was far too busy with my... Studies."

LJ smirked. "I'm sure."

The other kids glanced to each other as they had a sneaking suspicion about Martha's relationship with the Grinch.

* * *

"And if the truth be told, he, um, liked Martha," Mayor May Who said as he was interviewed next. "Martha was _my_ girlfriend. I don't like discussing this Grinch so very close to Christmas, but maybe if you hear the truth, you'll understand why," he then glared down to his personal lackey who was polishing his shoes. "Put your back into it!" he then looked back over to the kids. "I tried to take him under my wing."

"Somehow I doubt that..." LJ muttered.

Akito seemed to agree with LJ as this mayor seemed more like a bully than a respected man.

"He had hair. Not pleasant," Mayor May Who continued. "He shed. Not right."

The kids all shot glances at each other.

* * *

"Did I have a crush on the Grinch?" Martha chuckled innocently. "Well, of course not."

"Uh, we didn't ask you that." Cindy replied.

"Oh... Right..." Martha said.

LJ's smirk grew wider. "Hel-lo, blackmail..." he whispered under his breath.

* * *

"For some reason, when he came home that day, he really got into the Christmas spirit." Clarnella smiled.

"Yeah, I can imagine why." LJ commented.

* * *

The story seemed to go well about how the young Grinch was excited about Christmas so he could impress Martha May, but it seemed to go downhill when he remembered what the young Mayor May Who said and he shaved himself so he would look like the others, but he only ended up becoming a laughing stock which angered him about his classmates and about the winter holiday in general.

"Lemme guess; he Hulked out and trashed the place next." LJ replied.

"I'm not sure what 'Hulking Out' is, but pretty much," Mayor May Who replied. "The anger..."

"The fury." The mayor's lackey added.

* * *

"The muscles~..." Martha seemed to gush. "It was a horrible day when they were so cruel to him. And... I could hardly bear it."

"Boy... That's gotta suck." LJ replied, feeling sad about the turn of events.

The other kids felt bad as that sounded very depressing for the Grinch.

"And that was the last time we ever saw him..." Martha sighed. "The very last time."

"I see... Thank you for your time." LJ sighed, as they left.

* * *

Cindy Lou stared into space as they began to leave.

"Well, now we know more about the Grinch, just like you wanted, Cindy Lou." Euchariah smiled bashfully to his friend.

"Yeah, we have the info... But whaddo we do with it?" LJ retorted.

"Hmm... Surely there's something..." Estelle replied.

They soon took a look above and saw Mount Crumpit not too far away as it made them curious of the Grinch.

"He must be so lonely up there." Zofia frowned.

"Maybe..." LJ replied.

"Well, we better get ready for the Whobiliation." Euchariah suggested.

"So that's like some sort of Christmas parade?" LJ asked.

"Yes, it's a very important tradition," Cindy Lou nodded. "We share gifts, prizes, and games with each other."

"Oh... Thanks for letting me know..." LJ replied. "I'm not exactly one for noisy gatherings..."

"Hm... I wish there was something I could do for you," Cindy Lou replied. "Euchariah, would you keep him company?"

"Oh! Uh... Um... I could..." Euchariah blushed. "Are you going to the Whobiliation though?"

"I'm sure I might have to, but you should help LJ, you don't like the noise either." Cindy Lou suggested to him with a small smile.

"Alright, I suppose we're in the same boat." LJ sighed.

"Thank you all so much for your help by the way," Cindy Lou said. "It's nice to have some friends agree with me about the Grinch."

"Hey, no problem!" LJ replied.

* * *

They soon went over to Cindy Lou's house while Euchariah went home as they looked over to Mount Crumpit one last time.

"Well... What now?" asked LJ.

"You can go with Euchariah and his family, I guess," Cindy Lou said. "I kind of have to go to this party. It's important to my family."

"Alright... I'll catch up with you afterwards." LJ shrugged.

"I'm really sorry," Cindy Lou replied. "I'd stay with you if I could. Really."

"It's cool." LJ replied.

Cindy Lou then went to get ready.

"I guess we should get ready too..." Akito said before taking out a magic wand that he borrowed from his father.

"Well... Good luck, you guys," LJ replied, following after Euchariah.

They waved to him as they decided to participate in the Whobiliation.

* * *

Euchariah sighed to himself as he had a hard time talking with Cindy Lou again which depressed him a little.

"Problem, Euch?" LJ asked.

"Huh? Oh! Um, hi..." Euchariah replied. "Just trying to get home to my grandparents."

"Fair enough." LJ said.

Euchariah soon hung up his coat, hat, and scarf, and wiped the fog off of his glasses once he came inside with LJ. There were two young Who girls on the floor, playing with dolls while the elderly couple who were their grandparents were wandering around the house as it was about time for the Whobiliation.

"Alright... All we gotta do is wait it out..." LJ decided.

Euchariah nodded before looking to his sisters. "Hi, girls."

"Hi, Euchariah." The young Who girls piped up.

"Hello. Name's LJ." LJ introduced.

"Our names are Obediah and Bethiah." The Who girls spoke together.

"I'm sensing a theme here." LJ commented.

"What ever do you mean?" Obediah and Bethiah asked.

LJ just gave a deadpan gaze and then shrugged it off. Josiah and Mariah soon came inside to see their grandchildren.

"This is gonna take a while..." LJ sighed.

"Hello, dear, would you maybe like some cookies and hot chocolate?" Mariah asked LJ.

"Um... Thanks," LJ replied. "But no thanks on the cookies."

"All right..." Mariah smiled as she handed him a cup of fresh hot chocolate. "I just put some in the oven for the other kids."

"Thank you, Grandmother." Euchariah said to her.

"Thanks, ma'am." LJ replied.

"My pleasure," Mariah smiled. "Any friend of Euchariah's is a friend of the family's. Especially that cute little Cindy Lou."

Euchariah then blushed as his sisters seemed to giggle about Cindy Lou Who. LJ smirked warmly.

"Where is she now?" Mariah then asked.

"Erm... She's at the Whobiliation with her family." Euchariah told his grandmother.

"Oh... You should invite her over sometime," Mariah replied. "I think she likes you."

"Yeah, now there's an idea!" LJ agreed.

"Oh! Uh... Well... Maybe when she gets back..." Euchariah blushed about seeing Cindy Lou.

"Hey, alright." LJ smirked.

Euchariah rubbed his arm shyly.

"You have that look in ya, son..." Josiah said to his grandson. "I had the same look when I first met your grandmother."

"Huh? W-Whatya mean?" Euchariah blushed.

"He means you _like_ Cindy Lou!" LJ replied.

"Uh! She's just a friend! Really! Th-Th-That's all!" Euchariah blushed and shook nervously. "I've known her since Kindergarten!"

"Ah... That's how it starts," LJ replied. "And it grows, and grows from that."

Euchariah blushed and shuffled his foot.

"You got a special lady, son?" Josiah asked LJ then.

"Nah... I just know how my dad felt when he met my mom." LJ replied.

"I see... Well, you'll meet someone special soon enough..." Josiah smiled. "I'm just glad you kids are safe from the Grinch."

"Now, now, Josiah, he was raised by Clarnella and Rose," Mariah told her husband. "You know that they're my good friends."

"Oh. Thanks..." LJ shrugged.

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, with the others..._**

Akito, Estelle, Vincent, and Zofia were all dressed up for the celebration as they went to join the other Whos in the celebration. Cindy Lou was walking with her father and older brothers as they joined their town in the Whobiliation which would of course annoy the Grinch all the way in his own home. And it was one hell of a ruckus, whatnot with all the celebrating and instruments.

"Dad?" Cindy Lou called.

"Yeah?" Lou replied.

"I've been thinking about this whole Whobiliation."

"Uh-huh?"

"I may do something drastic."

"That's fine, dear, ask your mother."

"Where is Cindy's mom anyway?" Akito wondered.

"Probably at home, trying to one-up Martha May." commented Vincent.

"Honey!" Betty's voice called out.

"There she is." Akito and Estelle concluded in unison.

"Honey, hi! Oh, look!" Betty smiled as she rushed over with a traffic light. "Look, I just found the cutest light for my Christmas display."

"That's a traffic light; she _does_ notice that, right?" asked Akito.

There were then the sounds of car crashes which made the others shudder slightly in a scare.

"Hurry up, we're gonna be late. Come on." Betty told the others.

And the kids followed behind. Music played as they soon gathered all around. The Mayor took his place while Martha was escorted on stage in her very special Christmas outfit.

"And now, the nominations for that Who among us who best typifies the qualities of Who-dom and Who-dery: The Whoville Holiday Cheermeister!" Mayor May Who announced.

Then everyone started paying attention.

"Do I hear a nomination?" Mayor May Who smirked to his citizens.

"I nominate the Grinch!" Cindy Lou called out.

At that, everyone turned and gasped in shock.

"The Grinch?" Some of the Whos muttered to each other.

"My, my, my..." Mayor May Who chuckled. "What an altruistic daughter you have there, Lou."

"Thank you." Lou smiled nervously.

"They'll never approve of it..." LJ groaned, watching the events unfold on TV.

"She's so brave." Euchariah whispered about Cindy Lou.

"Kid has guts, I'll say that much." LJ replied.

"Cindy?!" Mayor May Who called, gesturing for the girl to come see him at once.

Cindy Lou looked around as the other Whos looked at her for mentioning the Grinch like she had.

"Let me quote a verse from the Book of Who," The Mayor said to her. " _'The term Grinchy shall apply when the Christmas spirit is in short supply'_. Now, I ask you, does that sound like our Holiday Cheermiester?"

"True, Mr. Mayor Who, but the Book of Who says this too," Cindy Lou replied. " _'No matter how different a Who may appear, he will always be welcomed with holiday cheer'_."

"HA! Roasted!" LJ retorted.

"Well, yes, but the book also says _'The award cannot go to the Grinch, because, uh, sometimes things get a lead pipe cinch'_." Mayor May Who replied.

"I think you just made that up, sir." Akito replied.

"No, no, no, it does." Mayor May Who told him.

"What page?" Cindy Lou smirked.

"He made that up," Vincent replied. "He's just lying through his teeth."

Mayor May Who looked nervous as he held the book close so that none of them could see it, but assured everyone that what he said was true, when clearly, it was not.

"But the book _does_ say, _'The Cheermiester is the one who deserves a back-slap or a toast, and it goes to the soul at Christmas who needs it the most'_ , and I believe that soul is the Grinch," Cindy Lou replied before turning around to the other citizens. "And if you're the Whos I hope you are, you will too."

"That's tellin' em!" Vincent smirked.

The other Whos began to agree with Cindy.

"Way to go, Cindy!" Estelle smiled.

Everyone else soon applauded and agreed with her since she knew about the rules.

"Fine... Fine..." Mayor May Who sighed. "If you people want to waste a perfectly good nomination, why, it's up to you, but I am telling you, the Grinch will _never_ come down!"

"And when he doesn't the mayor will get the crown!" His lackey quickly added in.

"Well, more or less." Mayor May Who replied boastfully.

"Yeah? Well, we'll see about _that_." LJ snorted.

Euchariah wasn't so sure, but he just hoped that Cindy was right. He always believed in her most of all than everyone else, especially when it came to her family. Everyone then went back to celebrating while Cindy Lou glanced up at Mount Crumpit as she decided that she had to go and see the Grinch for herself.

LJ sighed. "I got a feeling this is gonna result in a trip up Mt. Crumpit..." he stated.

"S-S-Should we go then?" Euchariah asked him.

"Of course! She's our friend, and we must stick by a friend when they need us!" LJ replied.

Euchariah then nodded and they soon went out the door. Cindy Lou was sneaking away from the other Whos as they sang their song while she made her way to the mountain.

"Alright..." LJ panted. "You'd think he would have another way of getting up the mountain..."

"Yeah... Couldn't he have installed an elevator or something?" Vincent added.

"Aw, come on, guys, exercise is good for ya." Akito replied as he had no trouble.

"Well, maybe he has something like a secret tunnel system...or some kind of super-tube?" LJ suggested.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Akito said.

"I feel like we're missing something we saw earlier that could've been more helpful than climbing." Zofia commented.

"No kidding..." LJ replied before they made it to the top.

* * *

"Well, here we are." Zofia said.

"Mount Crumpit." Vincent added.

"I think I found the door." Cindy Lou told the others.

"Alright then... Let's head on in!" LJ replied.

Cindy Lou knocked on the door a while. "Mr. Grinch? Mr. Grinch!" she then called out, but she didn't seem to get an answer.

"Okay, he isn't home, we should go." Euchariah said nervously, about to walk away.

"Ahp-bup-bup!" LJ announced, stopping him. "Sounds like... Giant cymbals crashing..."

"That's weird..." Estelle commented. "I wonder what's going on in there?"

"I'm afraid to find out." Euchariah shivered.

And so they went further into the cave... And saw the Grinch, getting his head bashed by a giant cymbal-playing monkey. The kids stood close together as they came to see the tall green man.

"Excuse me?" Cindy Lou called, tapping him to get his attention.

The Grinch soon stood straight up and made the cymbals go against each other which seemed to short-circuit the monkey. He soon took a look over below him to see the children. "Hello... Little ones..." he said softly before glaring at them dramatically. "How dare you enter the Grinch's lair?! The impudence! The audacity! The unmitigated gall! You called down the thunder, now get ready for the boom! Gaze into the face of fear..." he then smirked to them. "Booga Booga Booga!"

"You're almost as scary as The Riddler." Akito deadpanned.

LJ chuckled.

"Mr. Grinch, my name is Cindy Lou Who," Cindy began as she spoke to the green man. "These are my friends, Akito, Estelle, and Vincent Fudo, Zofia and Lionel Schwartz Jr, and Euchariah Who."

"You see?" The Grinch grinned. "Even now, the terror is welling up inside you all."

"I'm not scared." Cindy Lou shook her head.

"I'm mostly amused!" LJ added.

"Denial is to be expected in the face of pure evil..." The Grinch replied before he seemed to snarl at them.

"I don't think so." Estelle replied.

"Doubt!" The Grinch remarked. "Another unmistakable sign of the heebie-jeebies! Now you're doomed!" he then brought out a white T-Shirt and began to growl and tear it off to scare them away.

"Oh, no, you ripped your only piece of clothing..." LJ sighed. "Let's just cut to the chase here, explain why we came up here."

"Kids today... So desensitized by movies and television," The Grinch muttered to the fourth wall before shouting, " **WHAT DO YOU WANT?!** "

"Mr. Grinch, we came to invite you to be Holiday Cheermeister." Cindy Lou smiled, taking out an invitation.

"Yeah. Dunno if you'd wanna come, even though Martha May will be there," LJ added. "From what I saw, she seemed eager to see you again."

The Grinch seemed interested at the mention of Martha May Whovier.

"Not to mention you'll always get an award." Akito added.

"Oh... Is that right?" The Grinch replied. "So, Martha May will see me as a winner?"

"Yup! And she's gonna be crazy about ya; even moreso than usual!" LJ embellished.

"She'll be on me like fleegle flies on a flat-faced floogle horse," The Grinch replied. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Martha baby, but the G-Train has left the station!"

"So, will you come?" Zofia asked.

The Grinch looked to them before shrugging. "Oh, all right."

"Oh, yeah!" LJ cheered. "See you there!"

"I don't know if it's that adorable twinkle in your eyes, or that nonconformist streak, that reminds me of a younger, less hairy me, but you've convinced me," The Grinch smiled as he took them to the door and stepped back. "Who knows? This Whobiliation could change my entire outlook on life!"

"Really?" The kids asked.

"No." The Grinch replied before pulling down the string to send them through a trapdoor.

" **YA-HOO-HOO-OOOEY!** " LJ yelled as they went down.

The invitation seemed to be left behind as they were sent in through a chute and it seemed like a ride.

* * *

"This is like something out of an amusement park!" Vincent beamed.

"You mean like at Universal Studios?" Zofia smirked innocently.

"Sis... No. Just... No," LJ replied. "The Cat in the Hat movie did that lame joke, and it sucked."

"Ah, people just don't get my sense of humor sometimes." Zofia replied.

"That movie was awful, and you know it!" LJ retorted. "And self-promotion isn't humor, it's money-grubbing."

"Yeah... The only thing I can admire was that The Cat in the Hat was the first book Mike Myers ever read and then he got to play the cat..." Zofia commented.

"Oddly enough, Tim Allen was originally supposed to play him, but he declined because it terrified him." LJ replied.

"I'll take Tim Allen in Home Improvement or The Santa Clause, thank you." Zofia said.

"Or as Buzz Lightyear." LJ added, as they shot out from the exit hole and into the snow.

Cindy Lou giggled a bit as that was kind of fun.

"There you are, honey!" Lou called out to his daughter as he rushed to her. "You can make snow angels with your new friends later. We can't be late for the Whobiliation."

"I have a feeling it'll be something memorable..." LJ smirked.

"You said it, buddy." Akito agreed.

They soon walked along as they went to get to the Whobiliation as no one seemed to notice they were gone very long.

"It's a big crowd..." LJ shrugged. "Nobody would notice a few kids missing."

"Come on then." Cindy Lou said as she took Euchariah's hand which made him blush.

"Uh,... Y-Y-Yeah..." Euchariah replied.

The other kids then followed behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Mayor May Who smiled as he came to see the citizens, soaking up the glory in being their mayor. "Well, it's time for our Holiday Cheermeister of the Year award!" he then announced.

There was thunderous applause from that announcement.

"Congratulations, Mr. Grinch!" Mayor May Who then announced, but... No one came. "He _isn't_ here... What? He didn't show? Who could have predicted this?"

"Give him a few seconds!" LJ snapped. "Ever heard of fashionably late?"

"Those children are starting to bug me." Mayor May Who gritted his teeth to his lackey, putting his hand over the microphone so that no one would hear him say that.

"Yeah, well you're no barrel of laughs yourself!" LJ snapped. "He should be here in 3... 2... 1..."

"Well, I guess the award goes to the... Runner-up..." Mayor May Who replied.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Zofia snapped.

There was then a rumble heard which made everyone look around and soon, the Grinch flew out, dressed in what appeared to be Lederhosen.

"Fashionably late!" LJ beamed... As the Grinch went flying... Straight into Martha May's bosom. "I bet he planned that."

"Makes me think of a Jessica Rabbit meeting." Zofia commented.

"Pretty sure Dad and Uncle Atticus had to dump six bags of ice in their pants to keep their cool during that situation..." LJ replied.

"No, no, Daddy would never do something like that..." Estelle replied, shaking her head in denial about her own father.

"Hey, everyone's human, kiddo," LJ replied. "It happens to the best of us."

"Hmm..." Estelle replied. "I'd like to hear the story of Cool World sometime about Miss Holli Would."

"It'll probably happen off-screen." LJ replied.

The Grinch soon looked at the Whos who seemed horrified at seeing him up close.

"They're taking this better than I thought..." LJ commented.

"Oh, yes..." Zofia replied. "It's like the public whenever Lenore the Cute Little Dead Girl wanders about."

"You mean that comic Mom and Dad like?" LJ asked. "Oh, I remember."

"I found some of Mom's old comics... Lenore seems like she would be interesting to meet..." Zofia replied, ominously.

Akito, Estelle, and Vincent seemed disturbed about a dead little girl, but they said nothing.

"Long story short, our mom likes morbid humor." LJ replied.

The Grinch looked over to everyone before letting out a quiet, "Boo."

This made the Whos panic and some of them even fainted.

"Wow..." Zofia blinked.

"Even _I'm_ not that cowardly..." LJ snorted.

* * *

"I believe I'm here... To accept... An award of some kind..." The Grinch soon said. "And... The children... Mentioned a check."

"No, we didn't!" The kids replied.

"All right, then give me the award," The Grinch said. "Come on! While I'm young!"

"Don't you worry, Mr. Holiday Cheermiester, you'll get your award," Mr. Mayor Who told him. "But first, a little family reunion. They nursed you... They clothed you... Here they are, your old biddies!"

The Grinch grimaced. "Are you two still _living_?" he asked.

"We missed you!" Clarnella and Rose cooed as they coddled against the Grinch.

"The sweater, Rose, the sweater, Rose!" Clarnella said.

"Sweater, what are you talking about?" The Grinch asked before he was soon surrounded. "No! I can't do this! No! Whoa!"

"Ah, yes, ugly sweaters," LJ sighed. "The low point of Christmas, next to fruitcake."

"Try our grandmother's sweaters..." Vincent commented which made Akito and Estelle shudder from the memories they had getting their grandmother's handmade outfits in the mail as gifts which were usually embarrassing.

"Ah, I think your word is enough proof..." LJ replied.

The Grinch soon wore a brand new sweater against his will.

"Come on, Grinch, ya look great." Zofia smirked.

"You're lying, aren't you?" asked LJ.

"Would I ever lie?" Zofia replied to her brother.

"Yes." LJ replied.

Zofia just narrowed her eyes to that.

"Put him in the Chair of Cheer!" A Who called out.

"I think the Mayor set this up just to humiliate the Grinch..." LJ commented.

"Huh, you're not the only one." Akito added.

"I guess all we can hope is that the Grinch has fun." Estelle suggested.

"I doubt it..." LJ sighed.

* * *

They soon watched the Whobiliation to see what would happen with the Grinch while Cindy Lou just hoped for the best. And it went on and on.

"Whoville seems to really enjoy the holidays." Vincent commented.

"Their devotion is almost... Fanatical..." LJ commented.

The Grinch seemed to have the most fun as he had won the potato sack race with the potato sacks replaced with stockings. Martha let out a happy scream, but calmed down once she realized she had done that.

"Yeah, she totally wants to jump his bones." LJ smirked.

"Yeah... He's definitely Uncle Lionel's kid." Akito whispered to his siblings.

"Nothing wrong with THAT!" LJ retorted.

"Just saying," Akito smirked. "I mean, I take after my own dad after all. Maybe you can impress a nice girl yourself... Like Penny Gadget?"

LJ blushed. "I'll consider it..." he replied.

"I mean, I have Jenny Foxworth." Vincent smiled.

"And I have Emi Ketchum." Akito added.

"I know who Jenny is, but... Who's Emi?" LJ asked.

"Ash Ketchum's sister," Akito replied. "She's destined to become the Pokemon Princess like Ash is destined to become a great Pokemon Master."

"I thought Ash was an only child?" LJ asked.

"Well..." Akito, Estelle, and Vincent paused as that seemed to be a long story.

"Ooh! The Grinch just got a crown!" Zofia told the others.

"Okay..." LJ commented.

They soon watched as the Grinch was on stage now as this seemed to be a good Christmas Eve so far.

"And now, it's time for the moment we've all been waiting for." Mayor May Who announced.

"Ah, yes, my award!" The Grinch replied. "And the check."

"There's no check." The Mayor told him.

"Are you sure?" The Grinch asked before he came beside Martha. "I really thought I heard someone mention a check."

"That was just you." LJ replied.

"And now it's time for Present-Pass-It-On!" The Mayor then announced. "As always, we start with our Cheermeister."

The Mayor's lackey soon held out a present for the Grinch. The Grinch opened it out of excitement, but saw that it appeared to be a razor.

"The gift of a Christmas shave." Mayor May Who smirked.

LJ face-palmed. "This won't end well..."

Akito, Estelle, Vincent, and Zofia soon glared at the mayor for the 'gift'. The Grinch seemed to have murder in his eyes once he clutched the razor.

"Ah, yes... Good times... Good times..." Mayor May Who smiled to him with a light chuckle. "And now, I have a little something for the love of my life," he soon got down on one knee. "Martha May... Please become Mrs. Augustus Mayor Who."

"And here comes the rage..." LJ sighed.

"Augustus..." Martha gasped.

"If you agree to be my wife, along with a lifetime supply of happiness, you'll also receive this," Mayor May Who smiled before suddenly sounding like a game show announcer. "It's a new car! Generously provided by the tax payers of Whoville!"

"Your tax dollars at work, people." LJ commented.

"This guy rots worse than the 2016 Presidential Election." Zofia mumbled.

"Same... But I'd honestly like to keep politics out of this story..." LJ replied. "They're already boring enough in real life."

"Fair enough." Zofia said to her brother.

"What do you say, Martha?" Augustus smiled. "You got 20 seconds on the clock."

"W-Well... I..." Martha stammered. "These gifts are quite dazzling."

Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech rang out. Luckily Lionel managed to cover his kids' ears.

"Ugh... That stings." Akito winced from the sound.

The Grinch seemed to be scraping against the car with his finger. "Of course they are..." he snarled through his teeth as he glanced to everybody else as his Christmas Spirit had been ruined. "That's what it's all about, isn't it? That's what it's always been about! Gifts. Gifts... Gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts!" he then pointed at various Whos sharply which startled them. "You know what happens to your gifts? They all come to me, in your garbage, you see what I'm saying? In your garbage! I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neck-ties I found at the dump!"

"Here comes the roast..." LJ smirked.

"And the avarice!" The Grinch continued to rant. "The avarice never ends! 'I want golf clubs! I want diamonds! I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored, and sell it to make glue'! Look, I don't want to make waves, but this whole Christmas season is... Stupid, stupid, stupid! There is, however, one teeny-tiny Christmas tradition, I find quite meaningful..." he then took the mistletoe away from Martha before dangling it over his butt. "Mistletoe~... **NOW PUCKER UP AND KISS IT, WHOVILLE!** "

And Lionel and LJ laughed their heads off.

"Pater?" Zofia blinked once she saw her father.

"Huh? Yeah," Lionel replied. "Figured I'd watch the fireworks..."

"And Mater?" Zofia then asked about her mother.

"She's nearby..." Lionel commented, gesturing to Cherry, standing in the crowd.

Cherry waved her hand over as she stood among the crowd, seeming to blend in with them.

"There she is!" Lionel smiled.

Cherry waved her hand as her face seemed to be censored by a book that she had in her face which read 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' on the cover.

"Kids, I think we'd best get to a safe distance..." Lionel advised, herding the kids away.

Martha soon fainted as the Grinch had an outburst among Whoville due to the Mayor's gift for him.

"What'd I tell you? He's going on a rampage..." Lionel explained.

"I feel a little bad for him, Pater." Zofia pouted as she hugged up to her father.

"Me too, kiddo," Lionel nodded. "I don't blame him for flipping out."

* * *

"Children... Are you all right?" Cherry asked as she came towards her family.

"Yeah... We're alright." LJ replied.

"Hi, Aunt Cherry." The Fudo siblings greeted.

"Oh. Hey, kids," Cherry replied to them. "It's late enough as it is, I guess you kids better get some sleep so you can get presents from Santa Claus."

"Alrighty! I don't wanna have to deal with the fallout of this..." LJ replied, as they were soon herded out of sight.

"Come along then, children, come along." Cherry said.

"Are our parents coming too?" Vincent asked.

"Eventually, yes." Cherry replied.

"Yeah!" Lionel nodded. "Because Heaven knows we don't wanna be here when things wind down."

They soon went to hide away somewhere safe while the Grinch began to rise chaos and terror among the Whos of Whoville.


	5. Chapter 5

"Serves them right..." Lionel commented as they left.

"Hmm... Yes~..." Cherry replied. "Now, who wants a Christmas story before bed?"

Akito, Estelle, and Vincent smiled as that sounded pretty nice.

"Awesome!" LJ cheered.

"How's about the Nightmare Before Christmas?" Cherry asked.

"Ah, Mater, I think I might be too old for that story..." Zofia said, even though she loved that story as a child.

"We'll consider it if the other picks aren't as good." LJ replied.

"Come along then..." Cherry told them.

They soon walked along.

"So does Felicity exist anymore or what? I'm confused..." Vincent said. "No doubt the other people are confused not seeing Aunt Cherry with Felicity and Simon."

"Well, Felicity still exists, but Simon wasn't so lucky." Lionel explained.

"Ohh..." The Fudo siblings said, now understanding.

"Good riddance," Lionel scoffed. "The kid was a terror in the making..."

"Though he takes after my early childhood..." Cherry mumbled slightly.

"He tried to murder you." Lionel replied.

* * *

They soon came to a hotel.

"Nothing says Christmas like spending Christmas in a hotel, am I right?" Cherry commented to humor the kids.

"Yeah!" LJ cheered.

"Get your pajamas on and brush your teeth, then Mom/Aunt Cherry will tell you a story." Lionel smiled to the young ones.

And the kids did just that.

"So, what story are you gonna tell the kids, Cherry?" Lionel asked.

"I'm not sure..." Cherry replied as she brought out her scrapbook of adventures. "Maybe one of the Christmas stories I've been apart of."

"Sounds good to me." Lionel replied.

"Hmm... You pick one." Cherry smirked, holding out her scrapbook to him.

So Lionel decided to pick one at random.

Cherry took the book back and cracked it open to see his selection. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

"Ooh, good one!" LJ beamed. "Personally, I enjoyed Frosty Returns a little more than the original Frosty special, but to each their own. On with the story!"

"You guys ever meet Frosty the Snowman?" Estelle asked the adults.

"We'll get to that..." Cherry said before cracking open the book which started a mission to go to the North Pole to meet Rudolph the reindeer before he met Clarice, Hermey the Elf, and Yukon Cornelius.

"Eh, a story's a story." LJ shrugged, getting comfortable.

The others nodded as they listened to the story before they would fall asleep that night, and the story winded down.

* * *

"And eventually... That wouldn't be our only adventure with Rudolph," Cherry said as she was close to concluding the story. "We would see him again in time for New Year's to meet the new Baby New Year."

"Awesome!" LJ and Lionel beamed.

"All right, kids," Cherry said as she closed the book. "Time for bed."

"Aww!" The kids groaned slightly.

"You heard her; you hafta go to sleep or else the big man won't show." Lionel chided.

"Can't we sing a song first?" Zofia asked.

"A song?" Cherry replied.

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." Zofia smiled innocently.

"Fine..." LJ sighed. "Which one?"

"The 12 Days of Christmas?" Zofia asked.

"Oh... Go to sleep!" Cherry told them.

"Once again, Mom, we're on the same page," LJ sighed. "Now good night."

"Good night, kids." Cherry replied.

"Good night!" The kids replied back.

Cherry soon sat back into the chair and leaned back, a little exhausted. Lionel gently patted her shoulders.

"Lionel, be honest... Am I a good mother?" Cherry asked.

"Of course you are," Lionel replied. "Why?"

"I'm just not sure sometimes..." Cherry said to him.

"What brought this on?" Lionel asked.

"Honestly, I think I'm just stressed about the holidays..." Cherry said as she took out a pack of cigarettes. "My mother always got this way around this time of year, so I think it's starting to happen to me now too."

"Hey, holidays are rough for everyone," Lionel replied. "We just need our own ways of handling it. I have two; one is my drawings, and the other, well... You know."

"Mm-hmm..." Cherry hummed as she began to take a smoke break, but opened the window beside her.

"Just in case, I'll be waiting in bed~" Lionel smirked, going to the restroom to shower.

"We shall see..." Cherry replied as she puffed some smoke out the window.

"Prepare to have your halls decked!" Lionel joked as he turned on the faucet.

Cherry let out a small grunt, though it seemed to be out of arousal, not in annoyance.

* * *

Eventually, the children were asleep and Lionel finished his shower. Cherry soon appeared in her spaghetti strapped black nightgown, leaning against the door-frame after she had her smoke break and glanced over to him.

Lionel beamed. "Tis the season..." he commented.

"Have you been naughty, Mr. Schwartz?" Cherry asked.

Lionel dug his foot into the carpet. "Hmm, maybe..." he replied with a cheeky grin.

"I guess I need to teach you a lesson then..." Cherry replied, linking her fingers together into a pyramid. "I guess I take after Auntie Catwoman in this department while you're the unsuspecting Batman."

Lionel nodded. "That makes a LOT of sense."

"I guess as I got older, I took more after her..." Cherry smirked as she sat on the bed, crossing her legs and one of her straps seemed to fall a little over her arm.

Lionel nods. "Yeah... The resemblance is uncanny..."

"She taught me a few things~..." Cherry replied. "I believe you know... It led to Zofia being born."

Lionel nodded. "Definitely."

"Felicity seems to like you a bit... She's a sweet girl for someone who was born in the dark." Cherry smirked, leaning up against him.

"Well, don't sell yourself short," Lionel replied. "You managed to get her to visit tomorrow so we could all spend Christmas together as a family!"

"Christmas was always her favorite tradition, especially at Belle and Adam's place, though I think she was just excited to see Chip." Cherry smirked playfully.

"Either way." Lionel smirked back.

"Mm-hmm..." Cherry replied before she began to kiss his cheek, down to his neck, and seemed to work her way down.

Lionel glanced as she worked her way down... And let out a sound reminiscent of a whale's mating call soon after. Cherry lightly chuckled as she 'took care' of him that evening. And suffice to say, that night there was no shortage of Christmas cheer in that bed. However, the Grinch had plans for everybody in Whoville as he decided to ruin Christmas for everybody to make them all just about as miserable as he was. He intended to carry out his sinister scheme that night; like a furry green ninja, he kept out of sight.

* * *

Cherry and Lionel soon laid down together after a while.

"I just hope I'm not a bad mother for kind of abandoning our children here alone for a Christmas adventure." Cherry said.

"Hey, of course not; they chose to take on this mission," Lionel replied. "Especially LJ... I think this is gonna do wonders for his bravery."

"Yeah. But you know something? I think the whole Pinocchio escapade was a turning point for him." Lionel replied.

"I suppose it was..." Cherry said softly. "In a way."

"Yeah-a new start for all of us," Lionel agreed. "You think Simon would've ever stopped trying to murder you?"

"I'm sure he would've grown out of it eventually, but I'm not sure what I can say about that..." Cherry shrugged.

"Eh... I wasn't willing to take the chance..." Lionel shrugged, turning on his side.

"Like I said... He's like my early childhood..." Cherry said about Simon. "I wasn't the most social kid around, and I was obsessed with death."

"I understand, but... Attempted murder?!" Lionel replied. "I don't intend to lose you anytime soon." he snuggled in and began to doze off.

Cherry gently patted him on the back as she bundled down to get some sleep herself. Lionel sighed as they both went to sleep. The Grinch soon snuck around everywhere, stealing presents and trees, including food from the unsuspecting Whos, and he didn't hesitate to get even with Mayor Augustus for humiliating him earlier that night. The Mayor totally deserved it though for being more of a bully and less than a professional adult, but he was unaware of what was happening like the many other Whos. Regardless, the Grinch continued going through Whoville, taking presents, decorations, food, and other things in between.

* * *

Meanwhile, someone was on her way into Whoville who seemed a bit older than she was before.

"I really hope I'm not too late in meeting Maman and Lionel for Noël..." Felicity said to herself as she came rather late, but promised either way to celebrate the holidays with her family this year. She then read the note explaining where they were staying, which included a spare room key for their hotel room. When she got into the hotel, she opened the door and tried to keep quiet so she wouldn't wake anyone up.

Lionel turned in his sleep. Felicity soon came inside and found there was a bed just for her, she soon took off her coat and slid off her boots before she soon collapsed into the bed on her stomach, feeling so relieved and let out a small content sigh as she was with her family again at what felt like an eternity, even if Lionel wasn't her biological father, but she still loved him, her mother, and the new siblings who came with him. Despite the timeline making some changes to her family, she was at least happy they were all together.

Cherry briefly woke up as she sensed something, and came out of her room briefly, and glanced into the other room, and hid a small smile as Felicity was with them again at last. "Merry Christmas, my child." she then whispered.

Lionel grunted. "Eh... Whozzere...?" he mumbled.

"It's my daughter." Cherry replied, mysteriously.

"Oh! Felicity!" Lionel realized, waking up. "Alternate-timeline daughter! Merry Christmas!"

"Salutations, Lionel..." Felicity smiled up to him. "I need to sleep right now... Can we meet in the morning?"

"Right. Of course!" Lionel replied before going back to sleep.

"Bon nuit..." Felicity smiled to him before going back to sleep.

"She really loves you." Cherry said to Lionel.

Lionel sighed in his sleep. "Yeah... I know..." he muttered.

Cherry lightly chuckled before falling asleep with him.


	6. Chapter 6

And so, the morning came after several hours. Christmas morning proved to be a sad one in Whoville because the Grinch had stolen their holiday cheer from them. Not to mention, he stole all their presents and decorations! But our main group still had a fair amount of holiday cheer to go around between them all.

"Felicity!" Zofia beamed. "You made it!"

"Bonjour." Felicity smiled to her family.

"Alright, Felicity!" LJ beamed.

"Joyeux Noël, ma famille." Felicity told them all.

"Thank you, Felicity," Zofia smiled. "Merry Christmas to you too."

"What she said!" LJ added.

"I've missed you all too..." Felicity smiled as she came to be with them before looking out the window. "Oh, that town does not look very happy this morning... I believe Christmas morning is the time for joy and good cheer for all."

"Sis, if you knew what happened, you'd be singing a different tune." LJ replied, as he explained what happened so far.

"So I see..." Felicity replied. "I am so sorry... I should had come sooner."

"It's alright," LJ replied. "You were busy, and you can't help that."

"I really was..." Felicity said. "I came as quickly as I could... Maman told me about your adventure with Pinocchio by the way, congratulations, my siblings."

"Thanks." LJ replied.

Felicity soon handed presents to her family. Akito, Estelle, and Vincent then came out, smiling to their cousin and she smiled back, also giving them their own gifts.

"Primo! Thanks, Felicity!" LJ beamed.

Felicity smiled to all of them as they thanked her. "You are all very welcome."

"Merry Christmas!" LJ beamed.

"Joyeux Noël." Felicity smiled back to them.

* * *

The kids soon sat down together and decided to open their presents from Felicity. Akito was given his very own junior detective kit, Estelle was given a new tutu for her ballet dancing, and Vincent was given new paint with all colors from the rainbow. LJ got some action figures, and Zofia got a book on fighting moves.

"Oh, Felicity, you're such a sweetheart." Cherry said to her daughter.

"I try my best, Mother." Felicity smiled.

"Well, you're doing great at it!" Lionel replied.

"Thank you." Felicity smiled to him.

"You're welcome, Felicity." Lionel replied warmly.

Felicity then handed them their own presents. Cherry soon oohed before opening hers to see that it was a tiny black box and inside there was a silver heart-shaped necklace.

"It looks awesome," Lionel replied. "I wonder what mine is...?" he wondered as he opened his.

Felicity smiled as she hoped that he would like it. It seemed to be a brand new, yet expensive watch.

"A watch! Aw... Thanks, Felicity!" Lionel beamed. "I know I can never replace your birth father, but I shall always consider you my daughter."

"Merci, Lionel," Felicity smiled. "You're like family to me as well."

"I'm sorry that time-space thingamajig wiped out your birth-father and brother..." Lionel continued. "But I'm glad it chose to spare you."

"Think nothing of it..." Felicity said softly as she rubbed her arm. "I miss Papa very much... He is my papa... But I am glad you are able to make my mother happy."

"Thank you." Lionel replied, hugging her warmly.

Felicity smiled as she hugged him back.

Cherry soon put on the necklace and seemed to like how it looked. "Fliss, where did you get these treasures anyway?" she then asked.

"I have been working in a factory so I could come up with enough money for everyone to be happy for Christmas this year." Felicity replied.

"Well, that's great." Lionel smiled.

"I'm glad I could help." Felicity said.

* * *

The kids soon looked out the window as Whoville found a way to cheer themselves up even if Christmas had been taken from them.

"Hey... They're all singing!" LJ noted.

"They seem to be happy now." Estelle added.

"It must be their Christmas spirit." Vincent guessed.

"Coming free from all those layers of commercialism." LJ added.

"Should we go out and join them?" Akito asked.

"Nah. This is their moment," LJ replied. "Plus, I'm not gonna go stand outside in the freezing cold just so I can hold hands and sing with people! I got holiday cheer, but I'm no idiot!"

"I think he takes after you in that, Mother." Felicity smirked playfully.

"You're funny." Cherry smirked back to her daughter.

"Either that, or common sense." LJ replied.

"Your parents should be here later." Cherry told the Fudo siblings.

"Oh... Okay... Um... Any new missions yet?" Akito asked.

"Not that I know of," Cherry replied. "You kids look like you could use some humor. How about the time I met Rocky and Bullwinkle?"

"Rocky and Bullwinkle?" The kids repeated.

"You mean those old cartoons from the 60's?" Vincent asked.

"Yep." Cherry smirked.

"I remember those guys," LJ replied. "That show was weird."

"And you met them?" Akito asked.

"Are you really doubting me after those stories your old man's told you about us meeting Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck?" Cherry teased.

"Believe me, there are A LOT of them," Lionel replied. "You're better off not questioning it."

"Fair enough," Akito replied. "I mean, my girlfriend is in charge of the Pokemon World since she's the princess."

"Speaking of which, I figure Penny Gadget and I could only be friends," LJ replied. "I mean, she's okay, but her uncle is completely incompetent. I'm surprised he hasn't killed anyone with those gadgets yet, and I don't wanna risk it."

"If you want," Akito shrugged. "I still think you should meet her. I'm sure you'd have a lot to talk about."

"Ah... Yes..." Felicity remarked. "Inspecteur Gadget."

"The guy is dangerously incompetent, not to mention he survives on pure luck alone," LJ replied. "If anything I'd be better off working with Teela."

"Whatever suits you," Estelle smiled. "We'll support you every step of the way. We're family."

"You are so Atticus's daughter." Cherry commented.

"I guess that isn't so bad." LJ replied as they saw the Grinch, on his huge sleigh, sliding down the mountain.

"I guess he's giving back Christmas now." Estelle guessed.

"Great," LJ sighed. "Everything worked itself out."

Cindy Lou and Euchariah soon smiled to each other and Cindy Lou gave him a kiss on the cheek as they were under the mistletoe while Martha May and the Grinch stood together.

"Well, for once things went right for the Grinch." Lionel commented.

"You kids must be proud of yourselves for having a happy ending with Whoville." Cherry said.

"Definitely," LJ replied. "Merry Christmas, Vince."

"Merry Christmas, LJ," Vincent smiled before looking to his younger twin siblings. "Merry Christmas, Akito and Estelle."

"Merry Christmas, Zofia," the twins replied. "And you too, Vincent."

"Merry Christmas to everyone!" Zofia beamed.

"And to all a good night!" Felicity giggled as she joined in.

* * *

And indeed, it was a Merry Christmas for everyone in Whoville... Even the Grinch, who got to carve the Roast Beast. Eventually, Atticus and Mo came over to see their children since it was Christmas Day.

"Uncle Atticus, Aunt Mo, Cousin Patch. Nice to see you again!" LJ beamed.

"Hey, kiddo!" Patch barked with a small smile.

"Great to have you all here for Christmas." Zofia smiled.

"I'm sure this'll be a great one with all of us together like one big happy family." Atticus smiled back.

"Mushy." Cherry muttered playfully.

"Sure, but it fits!" Lionel replied.

"Sure." Cherry smirked playfully.

"Same old Cherry." Atticus sighed, but laughed fondly.

"Wouldn't be Christmas without her." Patch added.

"At least it isn't Lucy van Pelt." LJ replied.

"Well, your mother's never called me a Blockhead before." Atticus smiled.

"Even though I'm certain she's thought it a good number of times," LJ replied. "But at least she's better than Lucy."

"Aw, you're all making me blush." Cherry smirked.

"Well, you deserve it." Lionel replied warmly.

The extended family soon joined together to have their own very Merry Christmas with the Whos in Whoville. And yeah... It was pretty darn great. Euchariah even got kissed by Cindy Lou under the mistletoe! Until next time, that seemed to be the end for another adventure complete to add to the collection of holiday treasures.

Till next time...

TH-TH-THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!


End file.
